


We make a good team

by vendettadays



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: ACME HR Problems, Caper Fic, F/F, Flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27935989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vendettadays/pseuds/vendettadays
Summary: Carmen held out a slender hand to Julia. 'Ready to foil another caper?'Julia grasped Carmen’s hand without hesitation.Who would have thought that Carmen Sandiego and Julia Argent would make a good team?
Relationships: Julia "Jules" Argent/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Comments: 22
Kudos: 214
Collections: Mistletoe Exchange 2020





	We make a good team

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).



‘You know Jules, we have to stop meeting like this. Wouldn't want your employer thinking you're getting too friendly with the enemy.’

Julia rolled her eyes, even if she knew Carmen couldn’t see it. They were pressed back to back, wrists and ankles bound by rope, and held inside a dark room that might have been a storage room. A light grunt escaped Julia’s throat as she struggled with the tight bindings around her wrist. 

‘I wouldn't exactly call this a meeting,’ Julia winced, the muscles in her shoulders and arms pulled painfully with every movement. ‘This is certainly not how I would like to spend my Friday evening.’ 

‘Well…’ Carmen’s voice trailed off suggestively. ‘Can't say I share the same sentiment depending on the occasion, but Jules, I didn't think our relationship was that _intimate_ for you to share your preferences with me.’ 

Julia could imagine the smirk on Carmen’s face, bright red lips curling at the corners and eyes bright with humour. Her cheeks grew hot and she squirmed at Carmen's words, bringing to awareness the press of Carmen’s warm back against hers, the brush of their tied hands, and the subtle rose scented perfume Carmen wore.

‘I'll be sure to add that to your profile in the database,’ she paused and cleared her throat, ‘“Likes to be tied up” should go well with favourite colour and personal pronouns.’

The musical laugh was worth the heat on Julia’s face. She felt inordinately proud that her voice hadn't even quivered as she spoke, but she was most of all in being able to cause such a delightful sound from Carmen Sandiego. 

_Focus, Julia!_

She shook her head and concentrated on the situation at hand. She was tied up in a store cupboard. In the British Museum. In London. That certainly didn’t narrow down what exactly VILE wanted to steal. There were a lot of artefacts in the British Museum of great value, both monetary and culturally.

‘Would you care to enlighten me on why exactly I am tied up in a storage room with you?’ asked Julia as she continued to work at loosening the rope around her wrists. She gritted her teeth as the rough rope chaffed her skin with every twist. ‘I am _actually_ on leave for once and was in the middle of revisiting the Ancient Egypt collection when a bag goes over my head. Next thing I know, I’m here with none other than Carmen Sandiego.’ 

‘Alright,’ huffed Carmen, a little exasperated, but Julia heard the touch of fondness in her voice. ‘I’ll let you in on it, only because it’s you. If it was Devineaux or anyone else in ACME, I wouldn’t be quite so helpful.’ 

It was unusual for Julia’s pride to puff up so often in one night. She preferred to hold herself to modesty in the knowledge that everyone, even herself could be a victim of hubris. Still, Julia couldn’t stop herself from preening at Carmen’s words. It wasn’t an explicit declaration of trust from the super thief, but it was an outstretched hand in that direction and Julia would take it. 

‘So my intel has VILE targeting the Benin Bronzes in the museum’s collection.’

‘But why would they steal the Bronzes? In terms of monetary value, there are other artefacts in the museum that are valued at much more,’ mused Julia out loud before Carmen could finish. ‘Even the metal composition is a brass variable rather than pure bronze, so it doesn't seem to make sense to target it for money, unless…' 

‘Unless?’ asked Carmen in a coaxing tone. 

‘There was an article in the _National Geographic History_ recently on the Benin Bronzes,’ Julia paused as she envisioned the article, pulling it from the part of her mind that compartmentalised information like a filing cabinet. ‘It said that a certain number of the bronze plaques, if placed together would reveal a secret code or coordinates to an even greater treasure.’

She felt Carmen lean against her with a satisfied hum, the backs of their heads touched. ‘And that's why you're my favourite out of all the agents in ACME.’

A small smile appeared at the corner of Julia’s mouth at the compliment. She shook herself as she, once again, reminded herself to focus on the matter at hand and not on Carmen’s charm. ‘Well, it’s not like you know a lot of ACME agents by name.’ 

‘That’s untrue, Jules. I know you, Devineaux and…. The Chief.’ 

Julia scoffed. ‘The Chief? Even her agents don’t know her real name.’ 

‘Would you believe it if I said I did?’ Carmen shifted her arms and Julia felt the rope around her wrists loosen little by little. 

She opened her mouth to refute the idea, but closed it again as she really thought about it. ‘It would not be outside the realms of possibility if you _did_ know.’ The rope around Julia’s came undone the moment the words were out of her mouth.

‘Like I said, that’s why you’re my favourite.’ Carmen appeared in front of Julia, grey eyes sparkling in the low light of the room. There was that infuriatingly cool and collected smirk on her lips that had a way of arresting Julia and making her heart speed up at the same time. The phantom feeling of being restrained seemed to affect Julia’s entire body as she watched Carmen undo the rope around her ankles. 

‘Come on, we’re running out of time,’ said Carmen. She got to her feet and held out a hand to Julia who took it without thought.

Carmen grabbed her hat and coat on her way to the door. Hand-in-hand, they slowly crept out of the room and into the empty corridors. 

‘Player, can you get a location on where the Bronzes are stored?’ Carmen stilled, head cocked to the side. She smiled enigmatically at Julia, who was crouched next to her. ‘You ready?’ 

‘Ready for what?’ The blood drained from Julia’s face when Carmen hauled her to her feet with surprising strength and launched into a run. Razor sharp origami stars embedded into the floor where they had been just moments before. ‘I’d prefer a better warning next time!’

‘Sometimes no warning is better!’ yelled Carmen as they skidded round a corner. Carmen pulled Julia into an empty room and slammed the door shut with her shoulder. 

Julia’s chest heaved with every shallow pull of air into her lungs. Her muscles thrummed with excitement and exertion, heart pounding from the spike of adrenaline. She gasped in between each breath, ‘Who was that?’

‘That was Paper Star.’ Carmen twisted the lock and stepped back, eyeing the door warily. ‘VILE’s very own origami specialist.’ 

‘She’s not very environmentally friendly. I hope she knows to recycle.’ 

Carmen laughed before turning to look around the room. ‘Well, that’s the nicest insult I think Paper Star’s ever got. She was a nuisance back in the Academy with all the paper she used. Everyone went paperless, except for her.’ 

Julia got up off the floor where she had fallen when Carmen had thrown her into room. She brushed off her grey chinos and straightened her navy patterned shirt. She pursed her lips at the small cut in the fabric by her waist. Oh, fudge it. This was one of her favourite shirts.

The room Carmen had pulled her into hadn’t been random. The walls were lined with mobile shelving units, each unit labelled clearly with the name of the artefact stored. Julia walked to the unit with ‘Benin Bronzes’ stuck to the side. 

‘You haven’t told me what you’re going to do with the Bronzes,’ said Julia as she turned the wheel of the unit to move the shelves. 

Carmen hummed and tapped away at her watch as she considered the request. ‘You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.’

‘Fine,’ said Julia abruptly, then immediately felt guilty for a reason unknown to her. She softened her tone, ‘It’s okay, I understand why you can't share it with me.’

‘What do you think my reason is?’

‘Because I work for ACME and we’re not exactly on the same sides.’ Julia turned the wheel once more and the shelf locked into place, revealing rows of closed drawers that housed the Bronzes not on display in the exhibition. ‘Can't let me know all your plans.’

'The great Julia Argent is human after all,' said Carmen with a teasing smile. With a metal briefcase taken from somewhere within the room, she walked past Julia and into the space between the shelving units. 

Julia frowned and followed Carmen into the tight space. ‘What do you mean?’ 

‘Your assessment was wrong.’ Carmen ran a gloved finger along the drawers before stopping at one labelled ‘195’, but she didn't open it yet. She turned to Julia, ‘If VILE ever got wind that you knew more than you should, it would put a target on your back and I can't let that happen to you.’

The air in the room felt thin. Breathing was supposed to be an automatic function of the body, but Julia found that she always had to remind herself to breathe in Carmen’s presence. She sighed shakily at Carmen’s words, so unexpectedly heartfelt and sincere that it felt more like a confession than an explanation. 

Carmen opened the drawer to reveal a single plaque of bronze laid on a bed of foam. Julia leaned in close to plastic cover, excitement in her veins at being this close to a Benin Bronze! She examined the three figures wearing battle armour typical of Benin warriors of the time. ‘The detail on the engraving is exquisite!’ 

‘It really is,’ said Carmen. She lifted the cover off and Julia watched as Carmen removed her black leather gloves to put on a pair of cotton gloves instead. With the steadiness of a thief’s hands, Carmen carefully lifted the plaque from the drawer and into the open briefcase.

She closed the briefcase and locked it with a click. ‘There, mission accomplished.’ 

‘Now we just have to get past your ex-colleague.’ 

‘That’s going to be a little harder.’

They returned the room to how they had found it. Julia sighed at herself when she saw Carmen cleaning the surfaces she had touched. This was why she would make a terrible criminal. She was so glad she was on leave. She didn’t want to think about the incident reports she would have had to complete had she been on duty. They left the room, briefcase held securely in Carmen’s right hand and Julia holding onto her left.. They ran down the corridors, turning left and right until they arrived back in the museum’s Great Court.

‘Did you think you could escape so easily?’

Julia grabbed the back of Carmen’s coat and jerked her backwards as a line of colourful origami stars thudded into the floor in front of Carmen’s feet.

‘Thanks, that was a close one,’ said Carmen from over her shoulders. She passed the briefcase to Julia. ‘Hold onto this while I handle Paper Star.’

Julia hugged the briefcase as she watched Carmen and Paper Star circle each other. They fought like a dance, Carmen dodging and diving to avoid the barrage of paper shurikens aimed her way. Paper Star twirled around Carmen with effortless grace that had Julia’s eyes flicking from side to side to keep up with how quickly she moved. All it took was one glance to Carmen for it to go wrong. Julia had taken her eyes off Paper Star for one moment. A second was all it took for Paper Star to disappear from Julia’s view.

‘Watch out!’

It was too late. Julia felt the kick to her lower back seconds before Carmen’s shout. She landed heavily on the floor, sprawling in a heap as she bit down the cry of pain that radiated from her back and shoulder. The briefcase clattered to the floor and span away from her.

Paper Star stomped a foot on the briefcase to stop it from sliding further. She bent down and picked it up. ‘Thanks, I’ll be taking this.’ 

Julia watched with dismay at Paper Star’s threw one parting glance at her, a smug sneer and wink as she turned and ran out of the Great Court.

‘Lara’s going to kill me for this,’ whispered Julia, running a hand through her hair. Her shoulder throbbed and her neck tensed with worry.

‘Hey, hey Jules, look at me.’ Soft fingers slid along Julia’s jaw to thread into her short hair. Warm palms cupped her face. Her eyes widened when Carmen tilted her head to face her. ‘It’ll be fine, don’t worry.’ 

Julia’s heart lodged itself in her throat at the concerned furrow between Carmen’s brows. At the sight of the furrow getting deeper, Julia nodded her head and was rewarded with a smile. Carmen’s worried expression relaxed and she let go of Julia’s face. Julia breathed in deeply, head spinning from the lack of oxygen, but mostly from being so close to Carmen.

‘Zack, Ivy are you in position? Good, the package’s on your way, make sure it doesn’t leave this building.’ 

A sharp screech filtered through Carmen’s earpiece, loud enough that Julia heard it too. Carmen winced, eyes scrunching tight as she pressed two fingers to her right ear. ‘Guys? What was that? Talk to me.’ 

Julia waited anxiously for news when her phone vibrated in her pocket. An unknown number was calling her. She would have ignored normally, but tonight wasn’t exactly normal. She swiped to answer the video call, making sure to keep Carmen out of the camera angle. 

‘Hey, Julia! Is Carmen with you?’ A freckled face came into view as another face squished into the frame. They must have been Ivy and Zack. 

‘We’ve got the case!’ Zack waved the case in front of the camera and grinned. ‘Don’t worry, your friend’s not going to know any different.’ 

Carmen stood behind Julia, a curtain of red hair fell against her shoulder as Carmen leaned into the camera frame. ‘Great work, guys. Player, what was that feedback earlier?

‘Sorry about that Red, I had to cut the comms before Paper Star called for extraction,’ added a third automated voice.

‘Where is Paper Star by the way?’ 

The screen froze as the camera switched to show Paper Star out cold, tied up and drenched in water. 

‘Looks like Paper Stars not going to be giving anyone paper cuts for a while,’ joked Zack. 

Julia groaned at the same time as Carmen. She hung up in protest and turned to find herself pressed close Carmen’s front, intimately close and in an almost embrace. A shiver went through her as strands of Carmen’s hair brushed against her neck. She stepped back only to stumble. 

‘Careful.’ Carmen caught Julia on the forearm before she could embarrass herself by falling on her arse. ‘Ouch, that looks painful.’ 

‘Oh, I didn’t even realise.’ Her wrists were rubbed raw from the rope and deep lines of purple were already blooming on her skin. It was going to sting when she cleaned them tonight. ‘I’ll be fine, thank you. Can’t be as bad as the gunshot wound I had.’ 

Julia’s joke fell flat as Carmen’s expression dropped before turning curious. ’That is definitely a story I will need to hear one day.’

‘I’m sure our paths will cross again,’ said Julia. She wanted to keep talking, but she knew that Carmen would have to leave soon. ‘I’ll tell you all about how I got shot next time.’

’You are full of surprises, Jules Argent.’ Carmen laughed and shook her head. ‘I wish I could stay, but I have a Benin Bronze to return to your friend first.’ 

Carmen leaned in and dropped a parting kiss to Julia’s cheek. The breath in Julia’s throat hitched and she froze to the spot, eyes widening as she gasped at the unexpected touch of soft lips to her skin. A furious blush crept across Julia’s face and all she could do was stare at Carmen as she withdrew, a slighter darker shade to her own cheeks. Carmen winked and turned tail, the hem of her scarlet coat fluttering behind her as she ran in the opposite direction. 

Julia gaped at Carmen’s retreating figure, speechless and more than a little charmed. She touched her fingers to cheek where Carmen had kissed. The spot burned as if the memory of Carmen’s lips had scorched itself into her skin. 

A commotion roused Julia from her thoughts. The flashing blue and red of police lights filtered in through the museum’s entrance. The siren wailed through the night, and was that Agent Devineaux running up the stairs towards her?

‘Agent Argent!’ Devineaux skidded to a halt in front of Julia, hair in disarray and ACME uniform rumpled, and a paper bundle of fish and chips in his hand? He cleared his throat loudly. ‘I thought you were on holiday, but you are here on the scene?’

‘I am on leave and due back next week,’ said Julia. Her gaze darted to the far end of the Great Court where a vibrant red coat had disappeared through the doorway. She turned back to Devineaux quickly. ‘One of my close friends is a curator here. She very kindly allowed me access to the museum after opening hours, so I could peruse the exhibits at my leisure.’ 

‘Oh, I see, you and your dull facts about boring things.’ Agent Devineaux straightened and tugged at the lapels of his blazer. The wrapped fish and chips tucked under his right arm. ‘Well, I have this completely under my control, so you may go and enjoy the rest of your holiday.’ 

He waved his hand in a shoo-ing gesture that had Julia pushing down the irritation it invoked. She pursed her lips in a tight smile. ‘I do not doubt that for a second, Agent Devineaux. I will leave this in your capable hands.’ 

Julia left Agent Devineaux and made her way out of the museum, feeling tired in body from the unexpected divergence of her planned day, but thrumming with energy in mind as she relived the day she had spent with Carmen Sandiego.

If she spent a little longer that night falling to sleep from all the ways she analysed Carmen’s kiss, well, it was a good thing she didn’t have work in the morning. 

***

Julia really did love her job with ACME, no matter how endlessly tiring it was to have her judgement on Carmen Sandiego consistently doubted by the Chief and Agent Devineaux. The truth of the matter was that Julia did not reach conclusions without proof. And there was plenty of empirical evidence that suggested Carmen was not truly criminal in the traditional sense. 

Not even a day after Julia had landed in Beijing to visit a friend, the Palace Museum had reported a missing artwork by the artist Dong Yuan. ACME had cancelled her holiday early, much to Julia’s annoyance. Two days of fruitless searching and failed leads, the delicate brush-painted scroll, rolled inside a carton tube was delivered up to Julia’s hotel room along with a bouquet of red roses just for her. She wasn’t sure what it said about her that she had received more flowers from Carmen Sandiego than she had from all her previous romantic partners.

Then there was the time a wooden crate of the surviving forty-six imperial Fabergé eggs had found their way to ACME Moscow’s office and marked for the attention of Ms Jules Argent. That one was harder to explain. ACME’s Crime Net was sophisticated enough to track international criminals, but their HR systems couldn’t locate Julia’s employee profile with an alias. There had been chains and chains of email correspondence between her and HR, and various papers forms completed, all because the system couldn’t handle a simple update. Three escalations later, one to her local HR lead, then the regional HR head, and finally the global HR Head of ACME _just_ so she could add ‘Jules’ as an alias. It had taken nearly two months of back and forth, but at least she had made her life easier for the future, should she receive any unexpected packages from a certain someone again.

Those were only two instances out of the numerous in the last few months involving Carmen and that was without mentioning the stint at the British Museum. Lara had called her the next day, confused and more than a little wary about how she had found one of the Benin Bronzes inside her flat and not where she had left it the day before. Secured inside the museum. 

Julia could have gone on and on. There was a file on her ACME laptop with her personal reports on each encounter with the woman in red. Barring that _one_ , of course. All in all, Julia loved her job and couldn’t deny that her life had become more interesting with the appearance of Carmen Sandiego in it.

At the Chief’s recommendation, Julia had agreed to fly to France to attend a charity auction hosted in the Louvre. ACME hadn’t received any chatter on possible criminal activities, but the Chief wasn’t taking any chances and had sent Julia to keep a watch on things. It certainly didn’t hurt that Julia knew Marianne Le Beau, the President of the Louvre too. 

Landing in the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and hearing the lilting accents again felt like coming home to Julia. There was something indescribable in the way France captured Julia in a way that no other country did. Paris was no Poitiers, but Julia loved the charm of the French capital, and when dressed in her best and made-up to perfection, well, that just called to the romantic in her. 

Julia carefully got out of the chauffeured car ACME had rented and smiled gratefully at the valet who helped her to her feet. She smoothed down her black dress and with her clutch in her hand, she walked towards the Louvre Pyramid and through the entrance.

Marianne met her at the bottom of the stairs of the underground lobby, eyes crinkling with crows feet and lines deepening at the corners of her mouth as she smiled brightly at Julia. Even at the age of sixty, her mother’s old university friend still looked as dapper as ever in her tailored three-piece suit and short silver hair coiffed into elegance. 

‘My dear Julia, it is so good to see you!’ Marianne leaned in and exchanged cheek kisses with her. 

Julia smiled back. ‘You’re looking well and I love the suit.’ 

‘You’re just saying that to get in my good graces.’ Marianne held out her arm and escorted Julia further into the museum. ‘Those last minute security adjustments very nearly cut into our opening time.’

‘I am sorry for the inconvenience,’ said Julia. They entered the room where the charity auction would be held. It was already bustling with guests milling about with drinks in hand. 

Marianne waved away the apology with a flick of her fingers as if it was an annoying fly. ‘It is your employer’s fault, not yours, so there is nothing to apologise for. Although, I was surprised to hear that you had joined this new crime-fighting organisation? Last I heard from your mother, you were with Interpol, no?’

’An opportunity came up that I couldn’t refuse.’ An opportunity that took more out of her every day. 

Marianne's eyes darted from Julia to the far end of the room and back to her. ‘I am afraid I must leave you here,’ said Marianne with regret. She whispered into Julia’s ears, ‘Kim Eun-Ae’s here. We haven’t seen each other in over twenty years and I’ve heard that she’s recently divorced. This very well may be my chance!’

Julia shook her head in amusement as Marianne strode off with determination in her steps. Her mother’s friend really was a character. She took a glass of water from a passing waiter. As much as she wanted to drink the Moët that was endlessly flowing from the bar, her job took precedence over pleasure and she needed her wits about. 

Surely, a charity auction in the world’s largest art museum wouldn’t attract the attention of an international criminal organisation? A familiar shade of red at the bar caught Julia’s eye. A incredulous laugh escaped Julia. Of course. 

‘You know, we have to stop meeting like this,’ said Julia, heart speeding up as she approached. ‘Wouldn’t want your associates thinking you’re getting too friendly with the enemy.’

Carmen whirled around, face lighting up with a wide smile which only seemed to get brighter when her grey eyes landed on Julia. Without missing a beat, she rolled her eyes and said, ‘My associates think we’re too friendly already, so why stop?’ 

Julia’s mouth opened to reply, but her eyes drifted to the strapless red dress Carmen wore, revealing smooth tanned skin and bare shoulders that had her eyes looking a touch too long to be polite. She closed her mouth with a jarring clack at Carmen’s laugh. 

‘I like your dress too.’ Carmen bit her bottom lip, but Julia saw the twitching at the corner of her mouth as she tried to stifle the growing smirk. 

‘Thank you,’ said Julia stiffly, pointedly ignoring her reflection in the mirror behind the bar as her face attempted to mimic the colour of Carmen’s dress. ‘I really like your dress too.’ 

Carmen leaned against the bar, one elbow on the varnished wood and chin resting on her hand. She watched Julia quietly, almost as if she was lost in thought. 

‘It’s been a busy few months, hasn’t it?’ asked Carmen as she waved for the bartender. ‘We haven’t had the chance to talk since London.’

‘And whose fault do you think that is?’ 

‘Criminals?’ 

‘Obviously,’ said Julia without a change in tone. ‘But I was talking about New York.'

‘What about New York?’ asked Carmen, eyes twinkling in the low light of the bar and pretending very much that she did not know what Julia was talking about. 

Well, Julia wasn't going to fall for Carmen's charismatic wiles this time. Julia crossed her arms and pursed her lips, the tiniest bit of annoyance passed through her and to her dismay, exhilaration at Carmen's widening smirk. 

‘Was it really necessary to put the Mime on the torch of the Statue of Liberty?’

The sudden burst of laughter from Carmen was almost enough to diffuse the annoyed pretence Julia had taken up. She wasn’t really annoyed, but she had lost hours to debriefing meetings and drafting incident reports. ‘I could have been reading about the Great Pyramids of Giza instead of planning retrieval and sitting in endless debriefs.’

‘Surely, it was someone else from ACME who retrieved Mime Bomb and not you?’

Agent Zari had been the one, but that was beside the point. ‘That’s really not what I was getting at.’

The smile on Carmen’s face got bigger, eyes softening so inexplicably that Julia's heart stuttered and stilled. Her chest tightened. Her lungs refused to expand with the breath she drew in.

God, why did this woman do this to her? 

‘What's with that look?’ asked Julia, feeling brave as her curiosity got the better of her. 

It was like a shutter had been pulled down and Carmen ducked her head, oddly demure as she drank her orange juice. 

‘Oh, no I was just thinking,’ Carmen paused and fiddled with her glass, long fingers playing with the droplets of condensation that ran down the side of the glass, ‘About London.’

Julia hesitated, not really believing that Carmen had been thinking about London, but she allowed the change of subject. 

‘We made a good team,' finished Carmen. She faced Julia and there was that look again, the slightest arch of her eyebrow, a little bit of wonder in her eyes, and a shy smile that had Julia wishing she knew what Carmen was thinking to make her smile like that. 

‘Yeah, we really did.' 

They fell into silence, Julia unable to tear her gaze from Carmen who seemed just as captivated. Her eyes flicked to Carmen's lips, full and plump and inviting, and artfully painted with deep rouge that had Julia’s eyes transfixed. The memory of how they parted in London, a chaste, but lingering kiss rose to the front of her mind.

Julia cleared her throat and turned back to the room, forcing distance between them. The need to move closer had been so close to the surface, to reach across the arm's length of space between them and… A passing guest nodded at Julia, distracting her thoughts with the need to be polite. She nodded back, thankful for the polite mask that slipped over her face, hiding her turmoil from view and concealing the thundering of her heart in her chest. 

‘So…’ Julia pushed past their lull in conversation, past the nerves in her limbs so she could get back to the reason why they were here in the first place. When in doubt, humour could work instead. ‘Please don’t tell me someone’s planning on stealing the _Mona Lisa_?’

Carmen's laughter drove away the tenseness that had fallen over them and the tightness in Julia's chest lessened. Back on safer, neutral ground that was their professions, Julia felt ready to turn back to Carmen. She leaned on the bar with her elbows and rested her head in her hands, quietly taking in Carmen's mirth. 

‘You laugh, but you can never be too careful. There’s something about a room full of very rich people in a museum of priceless artworks that attracts international super thieves like bees to nectar,’ teased Julia, unable to resist the jibe. 

‘No stealing culturally and historically significant artworks tonight,’ said Carmen, calming a little, though the amusement remained on her face. ‘Just a good old fashioned thievery in its truest form, stealing money from the rich.’ 

Julia groaned, unable to resist. Her spy pen felt like it was burning a hole in her clutch. ‘And here I was hoping tonight would just be a charity auction.’ 

‘I don’t think I've ever been to _just_ a charity auction.’

‘I presume our favourite criminal organisation is involved or will this be the day I'm proven wrong about you, Carmen Sandiego?’ Julia was a believer in evidence, she would not be proven wrong.

A flash of daring crossed Carmen's expression, determination straightened her shoulders as she took the bait and rose to the challenge. ‘What if today is the day you’re proven right about me?’

‘By that logic, then we will have both won.’ Maybe the Chief and Agent Devineaux would finally believe her, thought Julia. ‘That would be something to celebrate about.’

‘Then you better be ready to celebrate.’ Carmen held out a slender hand to Julia. ‘Ready to foil another caper?’

Julia grasped Carmen’s hand without hesitation. ‘We do make a good team.’

***

It turned out the way to stop VILE stealing the charity money was by stealing the money back from VILE, funnelling the money through several off-shore accounts and shell corporations set up by Carmen’s team, then back into the charity’s bank account. It all seemed suspiciously like money laundering, but what Julia didn't know, didn't hurt her. And honestly, she _really_ did not want to know. 

Had Julia had her way, she would have found a judge and got an injunction to freeze the assets. 

‘Jules, time is of the essence here,’ Carmen had said with a placating hand on Julia’s shoulder. ‘Let me handle this one.’ 

The money had been returned to the charity without anyone noticing it had gone missing in the first place, and that was all that mattered to her. The auction had been a success much to Marianne’s pleasure. No artworks had been stolen. No one had been hurt or held hostage. All in all, it was a rather tame affair compared to London.

Julia collapsed into a chair at an empty table. She stretched her tired legs, having spent most of the night on her feet and unable to stay still for long, not with the way her mind had run with simulations of the possible contingency plans if it all went wrong. A champagne flute appeared before her face and she took it gratefully with a tired smile. Carmen sat down opposite, holding onto her own glass and a whole bottle of Moët in one hand. 

‘I think this is well-deserved.’

Carmen clinked her glass against Julia’s and brought it to her lips. It took everything in Julia not to down her drink in one gulp. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and this was neither of those moments, so she conceded with drinking a large mouthful. Her mother would be proud that she remembered her manners. 

‘I can hardly take the credit when I spent the whole night fretting about the auction and thinking the vintage Victorian tea-set should have gone for more.' 

‘That tea-set really was a steal,’ agreed Carmen as she topped up their glasses. Don’t worry about it, the villainy should be left to villains.’

Julia twirled her champagne and watched the way the bubbling liquid clung to the sides of the glass before she took a long, fortifying sip. ‘I don’t actually think of you as a villain. Your methods may be unconventional, but you have never stolen for the sake of stealing.’

There was that indecipherable look on Carmen’s face. If Julia really had to try and describe it, it was a mix of amused and curious, interested and undeniable attraction. The last one might have been the champagne and less Julia’s logical mind.

To hell with it, thought Julia, who was she to deny herself the truth, sober or otherwise? 

She was very much attracted to Carmen Sandiego, had been since she saw the woman in red standing on a roof in Poitiers, with heart in her throat as she had watched Carmen jump without so much as a glance to the ground. Months down the line and the attraction had only got stronger the more she got to know Carmen. 

Julia was certainly attracted to her now. She tipped the rest of her champagne in her mouth and set the glass firmly. 

‘Do you want to get out here?’ 

The gentle nod from Carmen was all Julia needed to take her hand. 

***

They walked along the river Seine, the Moët taken from the auction passed back and forth between them until it was half-empty and walking felt a little too hard for Julia with the way the world swayed. Julia clung to Carmen's arm and laughed loudly, Carmen laughed harder and just as loudly as they sank down awkwardly on the river bank.

‘Why did I wear this dress?’ Julia tugged at her tight dress, all elegance lost as she tried to tuck her legs beneath her without falling into the river. She shrugged off her heels and lined them up next to her.

‘I can name a few reasons.’

A flush rose to Julia’s cheeks, already pink from the champagne she had drunk, and colouring them a darker shade. She went to push up her glasses, forgetting that she had worn her contacts. Carmen almost choked on her swig of champagne, sending them into another bout of laughter. The embarrassment Julia would normally have felt was blessedly absent.

Julia’s self consciousness was gone as she watched Carmen, so at ease and relaxed in a way that she had never seen before. The smiles appeared and laughter given readily. The long looks shared between them that held more weight in silence than words. The contact of Carmen’s fingers on the back of Julia’s hand as they sat side-by-side, staring out at the surface of the river lit by the moonlight on an ordinary Saturday evening in Paris. Julia scoffed, she hadn’t had an ordinary Saturday evening in so long.

‘What was that?’

‘I was just thinking how ridiculous my life is.’ Julia flipped her hand, the roughness of the stone bank beneath her palms replaced by the warmth and softness of Carmen’s touch. Their fingers curled together. ‘It feels like a dream that a few years ago, I was walking along the _Pont Neuf_ after my interview with Interpol.’

She pointed to the bridge further up the bank on her left. Its arches were illuminated orange in the night, guarded by the _mascarons_ , their grimaces lining the sides of the bridge like stone spectres. It was her favourite bridge in Paris.

‘Was this before or after your gunshot wound?’

‘You remembered.’ A statement, not a question and Julia wondered how Carmen could remember such a small detail from months before.

‘Of course, I remembered.' Carmen grinned at her playfully. ‘How can I forget that Jules Argent has secret scars to go with how badass she is?’

The description delighted Julia and she swayed a little closer to Carmen, body shaking with silent laughter that felt so freeing to her. No one in her life would have ever said she was a badass. She looked up at Carmen with a smile.

‘It was before Interpol when I was an Officer in the Intelligence Corps in the British army.’ She remembered the year at Sandhurst and how she had pushed her body during physical training. Being small had its limits, but Julia had never liked to fall behind. ‘I was leading a deployed team on a counter-terrorism intelligence op when I got hit in the side.’

Carmen's eyes grew wide, mouth dropping open as she was rendered silent. ‘I’m so glad you’re okay,’ she said, finally finding her voice, an awed expression her face. Her hand in Julia’s squeezed tightly.

‘It was just coming up to the end of my four year term when I got shot, and I thought it was time for a change.’ Julia held onto Carmen’s hand, pouring comfort into the connection. ‘That’s how I ended with Interpol.’

‘And with Devineaux,’ joked Carmen, ‘and then ACME.’

‘And now with an internationally wanted super thief whose methods are suspect, but whose MO is very much on the side of good.’

As the words left her, the world narrowed and all Julia could do was focus on the woman sat next to her. The sounds of traffic and other passing couples walking along the river faded to the background. A gentle breeze played with the loose strands of Carmen’s red hair, falling freely from Carmen’s chignon and Julia itched to brush the hair that fell across her face.

Julia tore her gaze from Carmen’s profile. She closed her eyes, letting the brief darkness envelope her in a calming moment as the evening caught up with her. Her pulse spiked as Carmen’s bare arm pressed into her shoulder, the heat of her skin like a searing brand to Julia. She opened her eyes to find Carmen close, head tilted towards her, but just shy of the closeness that Julia craved. Her dark eyes drifted to those same lips that had held her captive all evening. The rouge less sharp, but still every bit as inviting. An unexpected boldness swept through Julia, hot like lava as it rose from the pit of her stomach to sit in her chest.

Fuelled by boldness and bravery, Julia sank into the temptation of those soft lips, sliding her mouth against Carmen’s in a kiss that took the breath from her lungs and had Julia slipping her hand into Carmen’s hair, undoing the elegantly tied up chignon. Carmen surged forward, the free hand not curled in Julia’s hand went to her hip and squeezed. Her fingers flexed against Julia's hipbone, drawing a gasp that was swallowed in the heat of Carmen's mouth. 

It was a culmination of all their exchanges and Julia poured all she felt into the kiss. It was explosive and urgent, and so much more than Julia could have imagined. Months of lingering looks shared on opposite sides, Carmen’s increasingly overt flirtations, and Julia’s increasing interest in Carmen that went beyond her job, captured in this one dizzying moment between them.

Julia broke away with a shaky gasp that had Carmen chasing after her when she drew back. A shuddering giggle left Julia. She relaxed the tight grip she had in Carmen’s hair and started to gently pull out the pins that kept it up, smoothing the mussed strands.

‘Are you sure?’ whispered Carmen unsteadily as her chest heaved. Her grey eyes were so bright that they could have been silver in the moonlight. ‘This changes everything and I don’t mean just you and me, Jules. I mean _everything_.’

Julia reached up and played with the triangle pendent on Carmen’s necklace, fingers brushing against the warm skin at the hollow of her throat. A shiver ran through Carmen’s body. Her throat bobbed and she wetted her lips as she gazed at Julia from beneath half-lidded eyes. 

‘I’m sure,’ said Julia firmly, smiling as she placed a reassuring kiss on Carmen’s lips. ‘I’ll face down ACME’s HR department just for you.’


End file.
